LKMco (published May 2019)
Click here to read the full report.
The second report from LKMco in their More Than A Job’s Worth series on careers education builds on the findings of ‘Making Careers Education Age-Appropriate’ published last month. This research is built upon an extensive literature review, two roundtables with a panel of 40 careers education experts and practitioners, interviews with four experts in careers education and nine case studies of primary, secondary and FE settings across the UK. Work experience can help benefit young people by offering them an insight into the world of work, develop employability skills and improve long-term careers outcomes, such as wage-premiums, employability and a reduction in the chance of being NEET. However, survey evidence suggests that half of young people aged 14-25 years old have not participated in work experience. Access to work experience can be dependent on demography and subject choices. The authors also argue that the quality of work experience for those that do partake can be hugely variable. The report recommends that the government, funders and third sector organisations should do more to ensure a wider range of sectors provide work experience and broker relationships between schools and employers. Schools need to do more to match pupils with work experience opportunities while employers need to do more to make the experience authentic and meaningful.